


so sing while we're falling apart (I'll take you dancing)

by mintwhiskey



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, and I know what we'd all like to see, bc its what we deserve, but I also know we might not get that scene, so I decided to write it for the team, so I heard legacies is gonna do a founders' ball, which means there will be that pageant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-04 22:57:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17313446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mintwhiskey/pseuds/mintwhiskey
Summary: it's the founders' ball and josie is competing in the pageant and nothing turns out the way she thinks it will





	so sing while we're falling apart (I'll take you dancing)

**Author's Note:**

> if you follow me on twitter, you know I've been yelling quite a bit about this particular scene so here we are. this is dedicated to all my oomfs that wanted me to write it

it's finally founders' day.

 

a day that was weighing heavy on everyone's minds and nerves for the past two weeks.

  
josie paces up and down the room, the ends of her gown swishing around her shoes as she wrings her hands together- her nerve ends buzzing with anxiety.

 

oh, she can practically _feel_ that panic attack coming.

  
she's holed up in the upstairs dressing room at the founders' hall with lizzie and the other five participants of the miss mystic falls pageant. while the rest of the girls are getting about adding final touches to their makeup or outfits, josie is burning a steady pathway across the carpet, shaking slightly from all the nerves.

  
"jo, quit freaking," lizzie admonishes her from where she's leaning in front of the mirror, fixing her lipstick.

  
"I'm sorry," josie mumbles, pausing in her tracks, "it's just.. I'm so nervous. I don't want to screw up."

  
"you're not gonna screw up," lizzie meets her eyes in the mirror, "it's not that big of a deal."

  
"how is it _not_ a big deal?" she stares at her twin, baffled, "liz, the _whole damn town_ is downstairs. and mom. and dad. and everyone from the school too. what if I make a complete fool out of myself out there in front of all of mystic falls?"

  
"josie, listen," lizzie straightens up and comes over to her, pausing before her sister, "you _won't_ make a fool out of yourself, okay? and besides, you've done the hard parts of the competition already. the interviews and presentations is where you could've screwed up but you did great. now it's just the dance and you can't do anything wrong with that. trust me."

  
"but what if I do?" josie whispers, her anxiety clogging her brain, "what if I mess up walking down the stairs? what if I trip? what if I syumble on my way out to the garden? we both know how clumsy I am and there's like two hundred people downstairs, lizzie- and they'll be watching every move I make and-"

  
"jo," lizzie takes her by the shoulders, forcing her to meet her eyes, "listen to me. you're _not_ gonna mess anything up- there's practically nothing there _to_ mess up. all you have to do is go downstairs when your name is called and raf will be there waiting for you and then you just go outside and dance with him and it'll all be over, okay?"

  
_the dance._

 

josie chews at her bottom lip, "yeah, about that dance-"

  
"oh for _god's sake_ , josette," lizzie groans, "don't tell me you're worried about messing up the dance because that's just basically _impossible_ at this point. we've all spent two weeks perfecting every step of that dance routine and you couldn't _possibly_ screw it up even if you tried."

  
"what if-"

  
lizzie cuts in again, "and even if, by some miracle, you miss a step or a beat or if anything goes wrong, raf will have it under control. he'll take care of it. so take a deep breath and please stop worrying because if you keep that up, you're gonna give me a panic attack and that's the _last_ thing I need right now."

  
"yeah," josie says quietly, "you're right, liz. I'm fussing over nothing."

  
lizzie pats her cheek once and goes back to the vanity, resuming her task.

  
closing her eyes, josie takes a long, deep breath, hoping to calm herself down- opening and closing her fits again and again.

lizzie's right, of course. josie isn't alone in this. raf is downstairs and she is going to dance with him and if anything goes wrong, he'll be there to control the possible damage. he'll have her back. _she isn't alone_.

  
despite it all, the thought of the boy sends a mixture of feelings through her mind.

  
here they are, mere minutes away from the ball starting and josie still can't believe that rafael is her date today and more than anything else, the fact that lizzie is actually okay with it.

  
she doesn't know what really happened between raf and her sister or how and why they ended whatever they had going on; all she knows is that after their birthday, lizzie suddenly didn't want to talk about raf anymore and he seemed to feel the same way. they began to avoid each other like the plague, trying to get by basically living in the same building with as little interaction with each other as possible. and then this whole miss mystic falls pageant thing started.

josie, to start with, didn't want to participate in the pageant. well, _maybe_ she did, but she also knew that lizzie was going to compete and most likely win the whole thing and josie didn't want to compete against her sister. she felt like she'd rather stay on the sidelines and cheer lizzie on, helping her through the whole thing. and she would've done it too, if caroline hadn't intervened and insisted that both of them participate in the competition. according to her, she had been miss mystic falls herself and the whole thing meant a lot to her and she wanted to see both her daughters competing for the title she'd once had herself.

  
still, josie tried to weasel her way out of it, mumbling about how the whole pageant was more of lizzie's thing and that she just wasn't cut out for this kind of stuff. caroline turned a deaf ear to all her excuses. she insisted and insisted relentlessly, claiming over and over that being half forbes, therefore part of the town's founding families, lizzie and josie _both_ had to participate in the event. she pinned it on being an important thing to their family but josie had a feeling caroline knew she actually wanted it, in some part deep inside her, but would quietly stand back and let lizzie do it instead.

  
after all, it was what josie always did but for once, caroline seemed to decide otherwise.

so eventually, josie caved and put down her name for the competition. lizzie wasn't able to hide her surprise and claimed that she hadn't thought beauty pageants were josie's thing or that she would've ever taken fancy to something like that. and it did kind of hurt, not being understood by her own twin. but caroline was over the moon and for josie, that soothed the sting of lizzie's reaction.

  
the interviews and the other activities of the pageant went by smoothly, much to josie's surprise, until only the final part of the pageant remained; the founders' ball.

  
josie wanted to ask mg to be her escort, but somehow he ended up offering his services to lizzie, before she could even get a chance. much to the whole school's surprise, including mg's, lizzie accepted his offer. even though that left josie in a bit of a crisis, she couldn't be happier for mg- being his best friend, she's always known how much he likes her sister.

now josie doesn't know how it happened, but somehow, in some way, she found herself asking rafael to be her escort. she had wanted to ask him since the whole dance thing was brought up, but she'd figured lizzie would have him escort _her_ so she'd stashed the thought away. then lizzie went ahead and choose mg and it left an opportunity for josie to approach raf. it's true she still likes him and now that lizzie didn't wan to do anything with him, josie felt like she might be able to act on whatever feelings she has for him without the worry of upsetting lizzie bin the process.

  
it was a surprise when raf agreed to be her date to the ball, given the fact that he was still clearly stuck in the traumatic mess that's been his love life recently. he's still struggling but was kind enough to accept her offer and josie was grateful, although she did awful about asking him, however irrationally, but she had to. there wasn't another choice there. rafael was the only person she wanted to take.

  
well, except for one other person, but that was someone who was _definitely_ not an option, no matter how much she wanted it.

if only things were different.

  
letting out a long sigh, josie turns to look at herself in the mirror, scrutinizing her own appearance before they all have to adjourn outside in the gallery. she smiles a little at her reflection, satisfied with how she looks.

she's wearing an elegant evening gown, red as blood, with silk and embroidery running through the folds and the edges. the neckline of the dress running across the middle of her chest and ends in twin off-the-shoulder straps. her hair is styled in a half-up and half-down waterfall braid, cascading down her neck and over her shoulders. she's wearing soft tones of makeup and a pair of pearl earrings, a present from caroline.

josie thinks she looks acceptable enough. but then again, it's not for her to decide.

she's revived from the depths of her mind by the sound of the door opening and hope mikaelson steps inside, wearing a soft lavender dress looking absolutely lovely- and very, _very_ alarmed.

  
hope wasn't participating in the competition, claiming it to be too much of a social event to be her cup of tea, but somehow still managed to show up to the ball to support her friends.

  
"hey," hope approaches josie tentatively, her brow furrowed, ignoring lizzie and the rest of the girls present in the room, "we need to talk."

  
josie frowns at her, puzzled at her tone, "sure. what's up?"

hope's eyes dart around the room, fixing on lizzie for a second before she takes josie's hand and pulls her aside, "I think we have a problem."

  
feeling her nerves beginning to bristle all over again, josie swallows, "what do you mean? what happened?"

  
hope stares at her for a moment, as if debating how to say whatever she's about to say, "rafael's gone."

  
josie's heart drops, " _what_?"

"when we arrived, he was there and we were all hanging around, talking and stuff," hope is rubbing her palm in agitation, "and then he started acting a bit weird and then after a while, he excused himself and stalked off somewhere. and then they started lining up all the escorts downstairs, and he didn't show up. we searched everywhere for him but he's nowhere to be found. landon says he said something about casey and not being able to do this."

josie stares at hope in shock, her heart pounding in her ears and her hands begin to shake lightly- everything that could've gone wrong just went as wrong as possible. she was right to be nervous and terrified. she should've known.

  
"what," she whispers through a tight throat, her mind freezing up, "what am I going to do now? hope, _what am I supposed to do_?"

  
her voice shakes with the strain she was exerting on herself to hold back from screaming, panic bubbling in her chest like lava- ready to burst any second.

  
_oh god, oh god, oh god._

  
"I don't know," hope's eyes are swimming with worry, "we could go to your mom, josie. we could tell her what's happened."

  
"what good is _that_ going to do?" josie chokes out, her vision growing dark at the edges- the panic attack approaching with full force, "they're going to call my name any minute.. and when I go down, _oh my god-_ "

  
she breaks off, unable to complete her sentence, her breathing irregular.

  
the idea of the humiliation that's waiting for her was too much for her to take. she is about to be stood up and abandoned and humiliated in front of the entire town.

  
_oh god_.

josie can taste the tears burning in the back of her throat and she suddenly can't breathe at all. this was a nightmare. this was her worse nightmare.

  
she was right to be freaking out and panicking. this is everything she feared. that and worse.

  
"josie," hope's alarmed voice echoes in her ear, her gentle hands on josie's shoulder, "hey, it's okay. it's going to be okay. breathe. please, just breathe."

  
suddenly the door opens again and edith fell, the town's current mayor, appears in the doorway, "it's time, girls. please step out into the gallery."

  
it's too late.

  
all the girls begin to file out of the room in a line, chattering amongst each other, passing by mayor fell as she holds the door open for them.

  
_it was too goddamn late._

 

josie can hear the announcer's voice speaking from downstairs, delivering a mandatory introduction speech, before she has to call the names. lizzie pauses as she passes josie and hope, finally realizing something was wrong and frowns at the pair, "everything okay?"

  
not wanting lizzie to be involved in this mess, josie blinks, trying to school her features back to normal as much as possible, "yeah. all's good."

  
she knows she's doing a poor job at trying to conceal her panic and her attempt at feigning calm is worse than pathetic. it wouldn't fool anyone. lizzie, however, seems too lost in her own mind to pay much attention- so she shrugs, mutters an _okay_ and moves to exit the room.

  
"we can tell the mayor and ask her to hold back your name," hope suggests, rubbing comforting circles on josie's arm, "if they don't announce your name, you won't have to go down."

  
the suggestion calms her down a little. not having your name not called is far, far better than it being called out for it to be met with an empty spot.

josie nods at hope meekly, breathing deep and slow, trying to fend off the panic attack. she and hope move to approach the mayor, who's now outside in the gallery, lining up the girls according to the order in which their names will be called.

  
as just the two of them step out into the gallery, the announcer calls the first name,

"to begin the procession, miss olivia young, escorted by mr. george bradley."

  
josie freezes in her tracks as olivia steps forward, grinning ear to ear, and makes her way to the staircase before slowly climbing down.

oh god, it was too late.

"go on, josie," hope pushes her lightly, making her move again.

  
josie approaches the mayor, clenching and unclenching her fists to keep herself from losing it all, "mayor fell?"

  
the woman turns and smiles at her, "josie," then upon regarding the look of absolute terror on josie's face, her smile melts, "oh my, what's wrong? are you alright?"

  
"there has been a problem," josie's finding it really hard to get the words out, "I-"

  
the second name is announced and ruby goldstein makes for the stairs. josie can feel the panic returning, her hands beginning to shake again and she feels like she's going to throw up/

  
edith fell looks fairly alarmed now as she stares from josie to hope and back to josie, "what has happened?"

"my escort," josie tries to get a grip on herself but to not much avail, "he- he's gone."

  
the mayor stares at her, "what?"

  
angelina gardener's name is called in the same instant and josie feels as if she's about to faint right there.

  
"josie's escort," hope steps in, seeing as josie has suddenly lost her voice and gone white as paper, "rafael waithe, he's gone."

  
"gone?" the older woman looks at the two of them, bewildered, "gone where?"

  
"we don't _know_ ," hope says, a bit frustrated, "one minute he was there and then he was just gone. we looked for him, but he's nowhere on the property."

  
suddenly lizzie is there at the mayor's elbow, looking between all three women with suspicious eyes, "what's going on?"

  
josie tries to open her mouth to answer her twin but no sound comes out. the tears return, prickling her eyes and choking her.

"mayor fell, you _have_ to stop them from calling josie's name," hope ignores lizzie, point blank, "please. she doesn't have an escort anymore, they can't call her name."

  
lizzie's head snaps toward hope, "what do you mean, _no escort?_ "

  
the mayor goes as if to say something but is cut off by the announcer's speaking again,

  
"miss josette saltzman," the voice carries through the silence, making josie's blood run cold, "escorted by miss penelope park."

  
josie feels herself seizing up entirely. her heart stops for a second and so does the whole world around her, the words echoing in her head loud enough to hurt.

  
_penelope park._

josie's heart picks up again and this time around, it doesn't just beat- it _thunders_ behind her ribs, sending her blood pounding in her veins, drumming in her ears.

  
her eyes automatically snap toward lizzie, who's face is a mask of pure fury and her eyes flash, "escorted by _who_?"

  
"josie," mayor fell is suddenly holding her by the shoulders, gently urging her toward the stairs, "you must go. now."

  
without a word, josie looks to hope next, who's wearing a startled expression, staring at josie wide eyed. then the corners of her mouth quirk up ever so slightly and her expression melts into a look of pure amusement. she nudges her head towards the spiral staircase and mouths,  _go_.

  
josie allows herself to be steered toward the stairs, making sure not to look at her twin again. at the top of them, she pauses, taking a deep breath, trying to collect herself.

penelope park.

  
she doesn't know _how_ this happened. or _why_ this happened. or what's _about_ to happen next. all she knows is that she's been saved from utmost humiliation in front of hundred of people. by her _ex-girlfriend._

  
josie can feel lizzie's eyes burning on her back but she can't bring herself to think too much about that in this moment. her mind is already reeling too much and she knows it'd be better for her sanity if she doesn't think about her sister right now. steeling herself with another deep breath, she puts a shaking hand on the banister and uses the other to hold up one side of her dress so she doesn't trip, before she begins to descend the stairs carefully.

  
as soon as she's made it down the curve of the staircase and the scene in the hall down below is in sight, josie sees her and her heart falters.

 _penelope_.

  
she's waiting at the foot of the staircase, gazing up at josie. the taller girl watches as penelope takes a sharp but silent intake of breath when she sees her and her face morphs into a picture of wonder. then her eyes light up and her lips twitch upwards slightly in a smile.  
one look at her and every emotion raging inside josie quiets down in a single instance. a sort of calm blankets over her, bringing her bristling nerves to a stop, and the panic that was gripping her heart _all day long_ just seems to wash away. one look and penelope brings her world at ease; josie _hates_ herself for still feeling like that.

  
there are other people present in the hall but josie is blind to the rest of them. her vision and senses have tunneled on the girl looking up at her with the most wonder-struck expression. penelope stands there, dressed in a black pant suit and a white shirt, with a matching black ribbon tied into a bow around the collar instead of a tie. her short hair is pinned up in a lazy bun that looks messy in the _most_ attractive way possible, dark strands escaping the do to frame her face and pear-drop earrings dangling from her ears. her makeup is immaculate and she looks so beautiful it _hurts_ to look at her.

  
her heart beating in her throat and not enough exygen in her lungs, josie grips the banister with a clammy hand and continues to climb down, praying to every possible deity out there that she doesn't stumble or trip right now.

  
penelope watches her with a hint of a smile and suddenly another thought occurs to josie; isn't all of this a little _too much_ of a coincidence? raf was her date but suddenly he abandons her out of the blue and then penelope is just there, ready to swoop in and save the day? josie can't help but dwell on that notion; some part of her brain tells her it's a ridiculous thing to think about but josie can't rule the thought out- after all, this is _penelope park_ and there's always an ulterior motive lurking around wherever she's involved.

  
the thought that penelope just _somehow_ might be responsible for raf winking out of existence like that, to serve her some purpose- sends a clear path of anger and irritation through josie's nervous wreck of a mind. and given penelope's recent course of wreaking havoc at every possible opportunity- and in some cases _creating_ an opportunity so she can cause maximum chaos- nobody would really put it past her to pull a stunt like that.

  
by some miracle, she manages to reach the bottom of the stairs without any disaster ensuing. penelope greets her with that signature smirk and a held out hand. josie takes it and penelope wraps her fingers assuredly around hers and josie feels the contact send warmth through her whole body. she quickly closes her mind to that as she steps off the last of the stairs and moves to penelope's side, choosing to focus on her annoyance more. 

  
" _what_ are you doing, penelope?" she hisses at her ex, as quiet as possible.

it's only now, when she's next to penelope, that she realizes that the other girl is wearing high heeled boots, bringing her up to josie's exact height, their shoulders leveled. they begin their slow walk through the main hall and towards the garden where the other three couples have already taken positions for the dance.

  
"what does it _look_ like?" penelope whispers, looking straight ahead, "I'm being your knight in shinning armor. or a hot pant suit."

  
" _oh really?_ " josie grinds the words out, "so it's a total _coincidence_ that raf came here with me and then just ditched me without any apparent reason meanwhile _you_ just _happened_ to pop up here,  _very conveniently_ dressed for the occasion, might I add?"

  
penelope lets out a hushed laugh, "I didn't _plan_ this, if that's what you're implying. as for the outfit, I'm here as hope's date, actually."

  
josie deflates immediately at her words.

  
_oh._

  
all the frustration and annoyance seems to leave her in a breath. still, she scrambles to hold on to some kind of irritability, something to give solidity to her resentment towards her ex,

  
"so you're telling me you had _nothing_ to do with any of this?" she inquires through her teeth as they step out into the lawn move towards the platform where the rest of the participants and their escorts are waiting in two parallel line, facing each other, "and you expect me to believe that?"

  
"I assure you I didn't sabotage your day _or_ your date," penelope replies coolly, "because that'd be pretty low and we _both_ know how you feel about me going low."

  
josie drops her eyes to the ground, her cheeks flaming. all of her hostility towards penelope drains, replaced by embarrassment.

  
"yeah, okay," she mumbles, her eyes still on the grass beneath her shoes, "you can stop throwing that in my face, you know."

  
she doesn't need to look at penelope to know she's sporting that stupid smirk again, "oh, but where would be the fun in _that_?"

  
rolling her eyes, josie inhales deeply, trying to rid herself of her annoyance and vexation at her ex. but as soon as those emotions are gone, her nerves and anxiety return, as jarring as before.

  
penelope must've sensed her distress by the tremble of her hand in hers because josie notices her looking at her from the corner of her eye,

  
"nervous?" her voice is quiet.

  
josie manages a feeble nod, not being able to say anything.

  
"don't be," penelope brushes her thumb across josie's knuckles- one short, swift movement, "I'm _with_ you."

  
and josie wants to scream at how effective that one single touch from penelope is on her, how everything about that girl is so effective on her; exes aren't _supposed_ to make you feel this way. they aren't supposed to shake you inside out so easily and make you feel things you're better off without.

penelope hates her. and she hates penelope. they aren't supposed to play this game of cat and mouse with each other.

  
side by side and clamped hands held up between them, they approach the platform, ready to take their places in the two lines. looking at her fellow competitors and their escorts, the thought of the dance slams into josie's mind, almost sending her panicking again.

  
she side-eyes penelope again, trying not to freak out, "do you even _know_ the dance?"

  
penelope turns to her just as they reach the two rows, a wink thrown josie's way, "you can lead me."

  
_oh great._

  
now, she not only has to worry about screwing up her _own_ steps, but she _also_ has to worry about _penelope_ not screwing up hers as well.

  
_just.. wonderful._

  
a moment later, penelope lets go of josie's hand to take her place with the escorts, while josie settles in her spot with the participants as the two exes face each other over the foot long gap between them.

  
their eyes meet and their gaze holds, like magnets; josie suddenly finds herself unable to look away, transfixed by the way penelope's eyes look more green right now than ever, glittering bright under the brighter sunlight, crinkled at the corners in a way they usually do when she's amused.

  
josie's aware of the rest of the girls and their escorts joining them, is aware of the rest of the people present at the event filing out into the lawn and gathering around the boundary of the garden, watching silently. she's aware of the whole town around her but she can't focus on anything else because she can't seem to look away from penelope; her eyes are intense and as magnetic as always, and they hold josie transfixed and captive, stealing her from the rest of the world.

  
soft music starts drifting through the space, reaching josie but she can't make out the song, her brain refusing to function properly under penelope's gaze. a second later everyone moves in sync and josie moves too, as if on autopilot. she and penelope bow to each other slightly, their eye contact never breaking- josie thinks she wouldn't be able to break it even if she tried to.

  
as it turns out, josie doesn't need to lead penelope at all.

  
with a slight quirk of her mouth, penelope puts up her right hand and josie mirrors her movement without thinking. they don't touch, leaving a good few inches between their hands as they begin to move in a slow, careful circle. josie doesn't care what everyone else around her is doing, she can't bring herself to care- unable to break out of this strange trance she's landed herself into with penelope.

  
once the first circle is complete, penelope drops her hand to put forth the left one, josie mirroring her once more and they start the next circle. their eyes stay locked over the top of their hands and josie feels the the gravity of penelope's gaze on a physical level.

  
when the second turn is completed, they pause for a second before penelope holds up both her hands and josie follows, initiating the third and final circle. their hands don't touch but the small space in between practically sizzles and even with no direct contact between their skins, josie feels penelope's touch all over her.

 

before she knows it, the final circle end and penelope allows her a moment before everyone takes a step closer to their partners in unison; one of josie's hand automatically falls into penelope's while the other slips around to rest just under the collar of her jacket, over the top of her spine- while penelope's places her free hand on josie's back, slightly cupping her shoulder blade.

  
the contact and the sudden proximity to penelope knocks josie's breath out and she stifles a gasp, every molecule in her body coming alive with a spark. she doesn't know if she should thank penelope for wearing heels or not, because she now finds herself on eye level with the raven haired witch, something that's so rare it gives her a whiplash.

  
_'give me love like her, 'cause lately I've been waking up alone,'_

  
when the words of the song register in josie's mind, she wants to laugh aloud at the irony of them. then she wants to find whoever chose this song and smack them.

penelope gives her an amused look, that particular song weighing a million tons between them. eyes never straying from each other's, they begin to move; measured, balanced, calculated steps taken with absolute precision. every movement between them is so in sync, it feels as if they've been doing this for years, as if they were born to dance together, like this.

josie wonders how penelope knows every step, every move and she can't stop herself before the question spills,

"how do you know this dance?"

one corner of penelope's mouth twitches, "you mentioned this ball to me last year," her voice is quiet and she's barely moving her lips but josie can hear her perfectly well, "so I did a bit of research to prepare because I wanted to escort you when the day came. then it felt like it'd never come, but here we are, despite everything."

  
josie stares at her, heart drum-rolling in her chest.

  
they're not supposed to talk during the dance and yet the question burns on the tip of her tongue so much she has to get it out,

"how did you do it?"

penelope quirks up a brow in question, "did what?"

"get your name put down as my escort?"

"hope told me wolf boy had bolted," penelope keeps her voice low so that nobody would notice they're talking, "when we couldn't find him, hope went upstairs to tell you while I figured the best and only option was for someone else to step in. since it was too late and nobody else was available, I approached the lady with the list and convinced her."

josie blinks at her, dumbfounded, " _how_?"

she's rewarded with a quicksilver grin,

"honey, I have my ways."

they spin around gently, the red of josie's gown whirling a stark contrast against the black of penelope's suit as they dance in silence for a while before,

  
"you look breathtaking, I hope you know," penelope whispers softly, bright eyes holding josie's own- a strange tenderness etched on her lovely face, "nobody else in this competition stands a chance."

  
josie feels her cheeks heating up and she's suddenly very painfully aware of penelope's warm fingers splayed against her bare shoulder blade, her touch prickling josie's skin like a thousand tiny needles and josie hates how much she loves it.

  
they take two steps back and the a wide one to the left, well aware of the melody in the background, though their bodies find their own music to move to.

  
_'give a little time to me, or burn this out,'_

"you know, you can't look this beautiful all the time, jojo," mischief sparks in the depths of those green eyes, "it's not quite fair to the rest of us."

josie can't stop herself from rolling her eyes or stop the little scoff, neither can she stop the the next words that escape her without her consent, "says the girl who's always the prettiest thing in every room she walks into."

  
_'we'll play hide and seek, to turn this around,'_

  
for a solid second, penelope looks as taken aback as josie feels, but then she expels the quietest laugh, eyes never leaving josie's face, "well, every room except the ones _you're_ already in."

  
josie's heart flutters wildly against her ribs. she wants to tear her eyes away from penelope's, feeling as if she's melting under her gaze, as penelope has always been able to make her feel- scared that she'll fall all over again. she wills herself to look away and when she finally manages to, she wishes she hadn't because now she's looking at penelope's mouth and the night of her birthday comes flooding through her mind, drowning her senses- filling her thoughts with the memory of soft lips and softer kisses.

  
_'all I want, is the taste that your lips allow,'_

josie finds herself staring at penelope's lips; at the gorgeous cupid bow shape of them, at the soft texture and the fullness of them, at that tiny, permanent teeth mark on her bottom lip made there by penelope's constant habit of biting down on it. she's reminded of their warmth and the taste of them, all of it far too fresh in her memory, having felt it all not too long ago. suddenly, all she wants in the entire world is to feel it all again.

  
her thoughts must be written in bold letters all over her face because penelope breathes out a light chuckle and josie snaps out of her stupor, preventing her from doing something she would've regretted terribly.

  
oh god, what is _wrong_ with her?

this is her goddamn _ex_ , for heaven's sake- she isn't supposed to be thinking about her like that and she's _definitely_ not supposed to be wanting to kiss her every time they're within touching distance. or thinking about the times she's kissed her. or thinking about what it would feel like to kiss her again.

  
holy crap, she _needs_ to stop.

but there penelope is, in all her beautiful glory- shinning like a miracle under the sunlight and it's impossible for josie to keep her feelings in check. she's solid and real under josie's hands and her eyes burn on josie's skin and her perfume is clouding josie's senses, a different type of intoxication. she looks golden in her designer cut suit and her carefully messed up hair and her perfect makeup; she looks expensive and impeccable and so damn gorgeous, it's borderline dangerous. she drops her gaze from penelope's face, unable to look at her any longer without imploding.

  
_'give me love like never before, 'cause lately I've been craving more,'_

pursing her lips tightly, josie forces herself to look up- only to find penelope watching her closely, her expression full of wicked mischief. josie blushes, despite herself, knowing she's been caught and knowing _exactly_ what's going on in her ex's mind right now.

  
_'and it's been a while but I still feel the same,'_

  
josie wants to scream at the skies; of _all_ the songs in the whole world, _this_ was the one she was forced to dance to with penelope park, the girl that once held josie's entire heart on her palm, and apparently, _still_ does- the girl that broke that heart into a trillion pieces and then continued to smash at the pieces too. she curses internally; curses herself for her feelings, curses penelope for what she did and for what she continues to do and curses fate for not giving her an easy way out of all this mess; for not letting her move on, for not letting her let penelope go.

  
_'maybe I should let you go,'_

  
if only it were that easy.

  
"why?" josie asks under her breath, partly to distract herself from her thoughts, partly because she genuinely wants to know, "why did you step in? why not ask them to not call my name at all?"

  
josie didn't think it was possible for penelope's gaze to get any more fervent, but it does; it's like a flame is lit within them and she regards josie with the kind of intensity that josie feels burning through her,

  
"because you deserved a full shot at competing," she says as if it's the simplest thing in the world, "you deserved to do a proper competition, to have a fair and square chance at winning and nothing was going to take that away from you, especially not that sleazy slimeball jilting you at the last possible moment. not on my watch."

she stares at penelope, her mind trying to come up with a proper response to her statement- instead what she ends up blurting is,

"I thought you were here as hope's date- why would you.."

one corner of penelope's mouth curls up in the softest, most genuine smile josie has ever seen her wear, "because  _you_ needed me."

josie is struck silent, all words lost from her.

did she _really_ care that much?

she remembers worried eyes and a terror-stricken face and trembling hands pulling her out of her makeshift grave. she remembers a shaking voice asking _you think taking care of yourself is selfish?_ she remembers gentle hands on her face and a kiss that spoke a million words. _so when are you gonna take care of you?_

 _why_ does she still care?

  
and if she cares, why break her apart in the first place? why shatter her and still not be done with her? why try her damned best everyday to step on every single one of josie's nerves? why not leave her be, let her get over her pain and heartbreak and mend herself? why waltz in and out of josie's life at her own leisure, messing things up and reminding her of the power she still holds over josie?

josie, for the life of her, can't understand why penelope park would not stop playing with her this way.

she abandons josie, leaves her in the middle with no explanation and then keeps looking out for her, her watchful eyes on everything that goes wrong in josie's life. she breaks josie's heart and then stands in her room and asks her to take what she wants for herself. she plays the villain and then steps in to save josie whenever the need arises.

and josie really doesn't know which one of these two sides of penelope is the lie.

she's brought out of her thoughts when they cut a slow half-circle to the beat and for the first time since stepping out into the lawn, josie becomes aware of the hundreds on eyes searing into her. the weight of so many gazes feels physical to josie and it takes her mind off of her confusion over penelope's conflicting behaviors completely. she wills herself to meet the other girl's eyes and focus, just on her- and the rest of the world fades away a little once more,

  
"everyone's staring," she murmurs as quietly as possible, not knowing why she's said that.

she feels penelope's fingertips press a little into her skin, a reassuring gesture, "does it bother you?"

the answer is out of her mouth before she even has time to think about it,

"no," it's true- it doesn't, "it never has. you know that."

  
penelope doesn't smile but her eyes scrunch at the sides, a quiet sign that she's pleased, "then let them."

  
they move back and forth, with care and grace, and josie can't see how she could've ever asked for anything better than this, how she could've ever thought about doing this with anyone else. then she scolds herself for thinking that way.

  
"I don't blame them, though," penelope starts in a whisper, "if I were one of them, I'd be staring too."

  
josie doesn't comment, not knowing what to say.

_'no, I just wanna hold you,'_

penelope's hand is warm around josie's, encasing it gently but assuredly and her fingers over her shoulder blade are soft- holding her, letting her know she's taken care of. josie doesn't know how what anything means anymore.

  
"not that I did any of this," there's a playful sparkle in penelope's eyes but she's looking at josie as if she's the only truth in the world, "but I would've broken off rafael's kneecaps and locked him in a closet _myself_ if it meant I'd have gotten to dance with you when you looked like this."

  
josie's cheeks flood with warmth and her stomach erupts in those familiar butterflies, rendering her speechless.

  
"shut up," she mumbles stupidly, trying to get a grip on herself.

 _god_ , she needs to get her head straight.

penelope doesn't say anything, just rewards her with that lazy smile of hers that makes josie's fingertips tingle.

  
the song begins to reach the end and it's not until the last tune has rung out that josie realizes it's all over; she managed through the whole dance, without panicking or tripping or messing anything up in any way.

  
penelope gves her one last, lingering look before she drops her hand from josie's back and steps away just as the rest of the couples break apart as well and the whole lawn erupts in applause. all the participants and their escorts move to huddle closer and penelope is lost from josie's side, melting away.

  
mayor fell makes her way on to the raised dais at the edge of the garden, clapping her hands along the crowd and smiling broadly as she stands behind the microphone,

  
"what a splendid dance," she calls over the cheers and the applause, "beautifully done, everyone, truly wonderful."

  
josie stands in her place, stunned. she can't quite seem to process what's just happened.

  
she danced with her ex and she felt _every single thing_ she had closed herself off to. she danced with her ex and let her heart beat again in the way it used to and let her breath hitch under penelope's touch and let herself think of things and emotions she shouldn't have- she let herself feel the way she used to feel when she was _in love with penelope._

  
and now she's rooted to her spot like a statue; dazed, high on the feeling of being so wrapped up in her ex; her skin, wherever penelope had touched her, feels warm and alive- the ghost of her touch still lingering on josie's whole body. her ears are buzzing and her heart is beating twice it's normal pace and she can barely pay attention to what's going on.

 

"I would now encourage everyone present to enjoy yourself with drinks and refreshments while the commitee makes it's decision," the mayor says into the mic, "our miss mystic falls will be announced shortly. for now, please enjoy the party."

  
josie's trance breaks and she turns as the crowd pours out into the garden, people reaching for other people, the atmosphere breaking into loud chatter. her eyes search the faces for a particular one but her search is short lived because the next moment, lizzie is swooping down on her- her expression murderous and mg just behind her,

  
" _what_ in the world do you think you were _doing_ with the wicked witch of the west, josette?"

josie is taken aback slightly, unprepared for the outburst, "what?"

  
"what were you doing with _her_?" lizzie sneers, eyes blazing, "out of all the people, josie- you had to go for her? even after everything she's done to us, _how could you?_ "

it takes josie a second to overcome her surprise and to come out of her daze over penelope. annoyance flares up inside her chest, which surprises her, because she rarely feels annoyed with lizzie. but right now she _is_ annoyed at her twin, and she's annoyed _a lot_.

  
"out of _all these people_ that you're talking about, liz," she starts, irritated, "she was the only one that stepped in to save me from absolute humiliation in front of the whole mystic falls population. I didn't _go for her;_ I was about to become the laughing stock of the town and _she came to prevent it_."

the words spill from her without a second thought and josie is astonished at herself; is she really defending penelope park to lizzie?

she sees that same astonishment reflected on mg's face from where he's standing at lizzie's shoulders, trying his best not to get mixed up in between the sisters.

  
"oh, _please_ ," lizzie scoffs, her cheeks flushed, "there isn't one decent bone in her body. you and I both know she most probably orchestrated the whole stunt."

  
quarter of an hour ago, josie would've agreed with her twin without missing a heartbeat- hell, she was _literally_ thinking the same thing _herself_. but now, she thinks of penelope, watching her with oceans of tenderness in her eyes, and the weight and warmth of her hands on josie- anchoring her, guiding her.

_you needed me._

  
she shakes her head at her sister with finality, "I can't do this with you right, liz. I'm sorry. I have to go."

"I'll bet anything that she pulled this shit just to score you for herself," lizzie seethes, her face full of venom for penelope,"so she could rub it in our faces now and later, how easy it is for her to get whatever she wants from us- and by the looks of it, she didn't have to try too hard, since it barely took you a minute to throw yourself all over her!"

josie stares at her sister, unable to believe what she's hearing.

lizzie doesn't know what happened between her and penelope on her birthday; she doesn't know the things penelope said to her then and the things she said to her while they danced just now and she doesn't know the things josie _felt_ for penelope- has felt for her, still feels for her.

if this is how she's reacting to josie merely _dancing_ with penelope, what would she do when she finds out about the rest of it?

she shakes her head again, not wanting to go through this with her sister right now, not in the middle of a lawn full of people.

"I have to go."

she steps past lizzie, leaving her stunned into silence, and starts maneuvering her way through the crowds- looking for a sign of dark hair and mischievous green eyes. she doesn't know _why_ she's looking for her, she just is.

she finds penelope inside the founders' hall, leaning against a table, chatting with hope. penelope has an empty glass in her hand which she's idly twirling between her fingers, all of her focus on hope. josie watches her as she leans in to say something to hope, who throws her head back in a bright laugh before playfully hitting the dark haired girl across her shoulder.

  
josie's heart twists itself into a knot pulled so tight, it feels as though it'd choke her. she suddenly feels hollow, more than she's felt in a while. they look gorgeous together, hope and penelope, and it makes josie sick to her stomach.

  
she pauses in the doorway, pondering over whether she should approach the two girls. a part of her wants to leave the two of them where they are, all wrapped up in each other; while the other, _bigger_ part of her - the part that drove her to take what she wanted on the night of her birthday- wants to storm up to them and chuck hope out of the window and kiss penelope until her mouth is bruised.

the realization leaves josie horrified.

_what the hell is she thinking?_

she can't afford to think about penelope like that. she can't afford to feel about her ex like that. she can't.

so she turns on the spot and makes her way back out, feeling as though she's leaving most of her by that doorway.

  
caroline is the first person to catch her once she steps into the lawn again. her mother beams down at her, her blue eyes sparkling with happiness, "josie!"

  
"mom," josie says, startled out of her thoughts, "hi,"

  
"oh sweetie, you look _beautiful_ ," caroline holds her by the shoulders.

_you look breathtaking, I hope you know._

  
josie wills herself to shut her thoughts out, as tightly as possible.

"you've already said that about twenty times," she gives her mother a weak laugh, "but thank you."

  
"I can't say it enough, though," caroline chuckles, "and you did so well with the dance, jo. you were absolutely great, honey."

  
at these words, josie fails to stop herself from remembering warm hands and bright eyes on her. she fails horribly.

  
"jo," caroline sobers up a little, "I thought that raf kid was your escort. how did you end up with penelope park in this whole situation?"

  
and _that_ is the million dollar question, isn't it? how does she _always_ , somehow end up with penelope park in every situation?

"I know I've been out of the loop quite a bit," caroline continues, a hint of worried confusion in her voice, "but the last I remember, she was your ex? or did you two get back together and I missed out on that?"

  
josie shakes her head, "no, mom. we're still broken up. I- it's a little complicated."

caroline studies her, "how complicated?"

"very," josie sighs, "it's very complicated."

"then how did you..?" her mother gestures with her hands, trying to encompass all the absurdity of the situation in the movements.

"raf walked out on me," she responds quietly, "he disappeared before the names began to be announced. penelope realized he was gone and it was too late to do anything else, so she convinced the lady with the list to put _her_ name down as my escort."

  
"she.." caroline's mouth parts open in surprise, "how did she do that?"

  
josie can't help the smile that forms on her face, "it's penelope, mom. she _always_ gets what she wants."

  
her mother goes to say something but then the mayor is back on the dais and she's calling for all the participants to join her. caroline takes josie's hand and gives it a squeeze,

  
"good luck, baby," then she places a kiss at her temple, "go."

  
josie nods at her and begins to move towards where all the other girls have lined up to climb the dais. her body moves on autopilot though her eyes search the faces in the crowd once again.

  
she's not there.

trying not to feel anything about that piece of realization, josie takes her place in the line, two spots ahead of lizzie, who gives her a grumpy look but doesn't say anything.

  
josie sighs, making a mental note to talk to lizzie the moment this whole thing is over. one by one, all of them climb up the dais and form a single file, facing the people who have gathered in the lawn to hear the winner's announcement.

  
all their escorts are standing at the front of the crowd, looking up at them but penelope isn't among them. josie's heart picks up again, the beats of it getting faster and faster with every second she's standing there, all these eyes trained on her. as if on an instinct, her eyes sweep the crowd again, desperately seeking out penelope; once, twice, _thrice_ \- her desperation growing steadier with every try.

  
and then she sees her; standing at the very back of the crowd, a crystal glass still held in her hand, eyes on josie. the sight of her is like a lungful of fresh air for josie and she can suddenly breathe again. their eyes meet and penelope offers her an encouraging smile and it grounds josie, makes her feel substantial enough again.

and she _hates_ that it does.

  
"before I announce the winner," mayor fell begins, her voice carrying, "I would like to thank all these wonderful, young ladies, on behalf of all of us, for their enthusiasm and eagerness to better our community."

  
everyone claps and josie looks away from penelope, her eyes falling on the mayor out of obligation.

  
"now without further ado, it's my great pleasure to announce our very own miss mystic falls," mayor fell pauses for a second before, "miss josette saltzman."

  
the lawn erupts in a thunder of applause and cheers. every head, every pair of eyes in the room turns to stare at josie- but her eyes immediately snap towards penelope, shock echoing loud inside her head.

  
penelope smirks and hold up a hand to point a finger gun at josie, accompanied by a wink and josie is back in the school's hall, just after the council members announcement.

  
the girls around her are congratulating her and then she's taking a step forward as the mayor crowns her and slings the stash over her shoulder and all of josie's feelings and thoughts are a mess.

  
she rather blanks out on what follows after this; she finds herself off the dais and shaking hands with everyone who approaches to congratulate her and then she's talking to her parents and caroline who has tears of joy in her eyes and then she's hugging lizzie who says something that josie can't quite comprehend and then hope is there, alone, congratulating josie and then she finds herself searching the crowd again, not knowing why she keeps coming back to it.

  
she won miss mystic falls.

and she's happy about it; she's so very happy about it.

but more than that, she needs to see the person who is the reason she got to have this happiness in the first place.

  
it takes her god knows how long to finally be able to excuse herself and navigate her way through the garden. she's looking for penelope all over the place, in hundreds of faces and then she finds her, standing by the fountain- away from the crowds and the view. her head is bowed as she stares at the water in the stone fountain, unaware of her surrounding.

  
josie walks over to her, her heart pounding and adrenaline rushing through her system. she doesn't move to make her presence known, but somehow penelope seems to pick on it- as if she just knew that josie is there and that she's looking at her.

she raises her dark head and turns to josie, greeting her with a playful smirk, "I believe congratulations are in order."

josie pauses in front of her, an arm's length away,

"I believe they are,"

"congratulations," penelope allows a real smile then, hands buried in the pockets of her trousers, her thumbs sticking out, " you deserved this, jojo."

her heart constricts painfully at hearing the nickname fall so easily from penelope's lips, as if she never ceased saying it.

  
josie watches her- _really_ watches her, tracing every line and inch and angle of her with her eyes; her high cheekbones, the line of her jaw, the shape of her eyes, the curve of her mouth, that little stud in her nose, the hair kissing her cheeks with the breeze and josie wonders how one human being could be so perfect, so all-encompassing, so flawlessly beautiful all by themselves. every inch of penelope is familiar to josie as her own, every detail of her etched into josie's mind like it's been burned there. she's so familiar yet so unfamiliar at the same time, it _physically_ pains josie.

  
she closes her eyes, unable to look at penelope any longer without it hurting too much for her to bear.

"thanks," she whispers, her voice small.

  
a phone starts ringing and josie opens her eyes to find penelope reaching into her pocket, taking out her phone.

  
"one second," she mutters to josie before accepting the call,

"hope, hey."

  
the spell of the moment breaks and josie's stomach turns again, an ugly feeling rising inside her chest. and that feeling is so familiar to her, it leaves her startled out of her mind; she remembers this feeling from the days when she and penelope were together. and she remembers not feeling it since they broke up. she looks away from the other girl, crossing her arms over her chest, trying hard not to listen to the conversation.

  
"I'm with josie right now," penelope says and josie feels some satisfaction from her admission- and she hates that she does.

  
penelope listens to hope talking on the other end of the line for a minute before she huffs out a laugh, " _alright_. save me a dance. I'll be there in a bit."

_oh._

so they're going to dance together now too.

  
without intention, her eyes drift back to penelope and she watches her put her phone away, gaze meeting josie's again.

  
"so," josie doesn't mean to say it but the words rush out of her on their own,driven by a feeling she doesn't want to acknowledge, "you and hope- you guys are a thing now, huh?"

penelope blinks at her, completely thrown off for a solid moment. then she blinks again and a smirk flashes across her stupid, perfect mouth, full of amusement,

  
"are you jealous, jojo?"

_oh for god's sake._

josie tightens her arms across her chest, "of _you_ , yeah."

  
the other witch looks surprised again, a bit speechless at josie's retort. to be honest, josie is surprised at herself too. but then penelope's tilting her head back and laughing short and musical,

  
"well," she looks back at josie, dark eyes twinkling, "can't blame you, honestly. I mean I'd be pretty jealous of myself too. hope really is something else."

  
the taste in josie's mouth turns bitter, too bitter to even swallow. she just grits her teeth and tries not to look penelope in the eyes, knowing full well the girl is enjoying herself.

  
"you're _cute_ when you're jealous, though," penelope remarks, still smiling, "no matter who it is that you're jealous of."

  
josie wants to say something back, to deliver a quip that'll drive penelope up the wall and wipe that self-satisfied smirk off her stupid, perfect face but she finds herself at a loss of such a thing. so she settle for glaring silent daggers at the other girl, her lips pursed tightly and her mouth working out of frustration.

  
"and to answer your question, jojo," penelope continues, her tone suggesting she knows she's got josie where she wanted her, "no, hope and I are not a _thing_. she didn't participate in the pageant but your dad practically drilled her until she agreed to at least attend. and she didn't want to come alone so she asked me to keep her company. I was gonna come anyway, so I didn't see any reason not to come with her."

  
it feels as if a mountain's worth of weight has been pushed off josie's chest and she can breathe again. it takes all of her willpower to not let it show on her face,

  
"oh," she shrugs as nonchalantly as possible, hoping to appear unbothered, "cool. not that I care or whatever."

  
but it's _penelope_ and she's always been able to read josie with a terrifying ease and precision. her eyes crinkle at the corners and she bites down at her lip, trying to hide her smile,

"of course," she says and josie can practically hear her laugh in her voice, "but I thought you said you were jealous of _me_?"

god damn, penelope.

josie gives another indifferent shrug, "yeah."

why is she like this?

penelope smiles a little and this time, instead of teasing or mischievous- it's warm and affectionate. her expression is soft and thoughtful and josie doesn't know why, but it suddenly reminds her of something penelope's just said,

  
"wait," she tilts her head at the other girl, "you said even if hope hadn't asked you, you were gonna come anyway? _why?_ because if I recall correctly, you're literally the last person ever to be interested in attending _beauty pageants_."

"you're right," penelope agrees easily, "but there's no world or reality where I was gonna miss a chance to see you in a dress. _and_ win the competition."

  
the way she says it, with so much sincerity and gentleness, it steals josie's breath. penelope looks up at her then, the water of the fountain reflecting her clear eyes. josie's heart flutters, out of control.

  
something shifts between them, then; a change in their dynamic so profound, josie feels it ring in her blood. penelope must have felt it too because now she's standing there, her smirk gone and her face inexplicably soft.

  
"thank you." josie says, hoping she doesn't choke.

  
a perfectly shaped eyebrow inches up in response, "for?"

"for being my escort," josie bites the inside of her cheek, "you're the reason I won."

"nonsense," penelope takes a step closer and her gaze is open, " _you_ are the reason you won."

josie shakes her head, "if you hadn't stepped in-"

"like I said, jo," penelope cuts her off, now another step closer, "you _deserved_ this, a chance at a proper competition. so even if I intervened, _you_ were the reason I did it."

her throat closing up, josie shakes her head again, "you didn't have to."

"but I did," penelope's voice is very quiet and she's very close too, "I did have to. I wasn't gonna stand there and watch you lose something you wanted so much- something you deserved to have, to experience- not if I could've done something about it. and since I _could_ _have_ , I did."

josie stays quiet, not trusting herself to speak, her throat too tight to risk voicing even a single word.

penelope takes one last step closer and then she's only inches away from her and josie can smell her spice and jasmine perfume again. her eyes are tender and she's looking at josie the way she did in the hallway on her birthday and the way she did when they'd first met and the way she did when josie had finally gathered enough guts to kiss her the first time. it makes her want to cry; it makes her want to run away and it makes her want to kiss penelope and it makes her want to hit her across the face for breaking her the way she did and it makes her want to wrap her arms around that slender waist and bury herself in penelope and never leave.

but she doesn't do _any_ of it. she doesn't think she's strong enough, or brave enough, or selfless enough, or selfish enough to do it.

penelope reaches up and brushes josie's hair off her shoulder, her gaze fixed on where the tips of her fingers are ghosting across josie's skin like tiny sparks.

"you have no idea, the things you deserve and _how_ much you deserve them, jojo," she gives her head a minute shake, biting hard on her lip before her eyes travel up to meet josie's and josie sees a whole galaxy in them, brighter than any other, "you don't _know_ and that's why you never think of trying to attain something for yourself. you don't know and that's why you don't put yourself first, that's why you don't go for what you want, why you don't push yourself hard enough."

josie holds her breath, her heart hammering and her mind racing a million miles.

penelope's hand moves from her shoulder, up her neck and gently cradles her jaw- her eyes never breaking away from josie's, " _so I will do it for you_."

there's silence and josie thinks that the thunder of her heart could be heard from a yard away. she can't look away from penelope, can't move, can't think.

"I will put you first, josie," penelope promises with iron in her voice and softness in her eyes, "I will put you first and I will push you to move. and I will let you _hate_ me for it and I will _know_ that you do. I will do it all for you until you can do it for yourself."

she leans in and josie thinks she's going to faint- thinks if penelope kisses her, she just might die. and josie wants her to kiss her. penelope presses her lips to the edge of josie's mouth, the touch genlte and fiery. josie's whole body jolts lightly, a reflex to penelope's touch on her like that. her eyes flutter close and she stands still, not finding enough strength in her limbs to move even an inch.

penelope holds the kiss for a moment that feels like forever and then she pulls away, letting her fingers slowly trail down josie's chin.

when josie opens her eyes, penelope is gone- leaving her alone with a lot more to celebrate, to grieve, to accept and to wonder about.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> they really are that couple huhhh also I'm sorry if this was shitty and wasted your time


End file.
